Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language. Meraviglioso!

But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Can you use the Italian subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! This is the third blog in the “Speak Italian” series that willfocus on how to conjugate and use the imperfettosubjunctive mood, or “il congiuntivo” for speaking in the past tense.

Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using the imperfettosubjunctive mood while speaking in the past tense. In this segment, we will discuss when the helping verbs dovere, potere and voleretake the subjunctive mood.

We will also repeat the Italian conjugation of the imperfetto subjunctive form for the regular and irregular -are, -ere, and -ire verbs and then present the conjugation of the modal, or helping, verbs dovere, potere,and volere. Finally, we will revisit the trapassato subjunctive mood from our previous blog on Italian hypothetical phrases. Example sentences will follow!

Verbs in Italian can have a subjunctive mood that is used to express beliefs, thoughts, or hopes with the verbs credere, pensare, and sperare.

The subjunctive mood is also said to “open up” a conversation to discussion about a particular topic by expressing doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling.

Certain phrases are commonly used to start a sentence in order to introduce the subjunctive mood, and these initial phrases will be in the indicative tense (the “usual” present or past tense). These initial phrases imply uncertainty and trigger the subjunctive mood in the phrase to follow.

We have already learned to use the imperfetto subjunctive mood with the conditional tense in our blogs about Italian hypothetical phrases! Now, as stated before, we will focus on the use of the imperfetto subjunctive mood after introductory phrases that are in the past tense.

In this blog, we will discuss phrases that express feelings (any emotion, fear, or surprise) in Group 9 and describe the situations in which they are used to introduce the imperfetto subjunctive mood.

We will also now discuss Group 10, in which we list individual words that refer to the purpose or timing of an action that must be followed by the imperfetto subjunctive mood when speaking in the past tense. These words are part of “adverbial clauses” that modify verbs. As such, they are often used in the phrase that completes a sentence, but can also be found at the beginning of a sentence. Many of these words are easy to recognize since they end in -che.

Finally, Groups 11 and 12 are individual adjectives or pronouns that can introduce another clause and must be followed by the imperfetto subjective mood when speaking in the past tense, which we will discuss in blogs to follow.

Phrases that use the verbs credere (to believe),pensare (to think), and sperare (to hope). These verbs use the pattern: [verb+ di + infinitive verb] to describe the beliefs, thoughts, or hopes that one has. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the subjunctive clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [verb + che + subjunctive verb].*

Phrases that use the verbs volere, desiderare, chiedere, esigere when the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed by che.

Phrases that use the verbs piacere and dispiacere when the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed by che.

Phrases that express feelings (any emotion, fear, surprise) and use the pattern: [avere, essere, or augurarsi verb + di + infinitive verb]. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [avere, essere, or augurarsi verb + che + subjunctive verb].

Sentences that begin with words that end in –ché, or complex conjunctions that end with che:affinché, perché (so as, so that, in order that), purché (as long as, provided that, only if)**, a meno che, senza che (unless), può darsi che (it may be possible that, possibly, maybe), prima che (before that). Also the many words that mean although/even though, one of which ends in -che: benché (also sebenne, malgrado, nonostante).***

Sentences that begin with adjectives or pronouns that include the idea of any in a description of a person, place or thing: qualsiasi, qualunque (any), chiunque (whoever), dovunque (anywhere).

Sentences that begin with adjectives or pronouns that include the idea of nothing or only in a description of a person, place, or thing: niente che, nulla che (nothing that), nessuno che (nobody that), l’unico, il solo, a che (the only one that).

As usual, there are summary tables in the next section that shows how to use these phrases. The present tense is in the left columns. The imperfetto past tense has been chosen for the right columns, although in some situations, the passatto prossimo past tense can be used as well. We will then present examples for the past tense.

Points to remember about the subjunctive mood:

In Italian, the introductory phrases that take the subjunctive mood (those that trigger doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling) usually end with a linking word, also known as a conjunction, which will be che. In this situation, che means that. The clause that follows our introductory phrase will then describe what the uncertainty is about.

We now see from Group 9 that some introductory words or phrases already have -ché or che integrated into the word itself. In these cases, che is not repeated.

*When the speaker in the introductory phrase will carry out the action in the phrase to follow, Italian will use the following construction to link the phrases for credere, pensare, and sperare : di + infinitive verb. Example: Penso di andare a Roma domani. = I think I will go to Rome tomorrow. (Use pensare a when thinking ABOUT something or someone.)

**solo se also means only if but does NOT take the subjunctive mode.

***anche se also means even though/if but does NOT take the subjunctive mode.

How to Express One’s Feelings with “Di” and “Che” and the Italian Subjunctive Mood – Present Tense

Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Di” in Italian

When expressing one’s feelings in Italian in the first person (io conjugation), many common Italian expressions are followed by di (of). In this case, when di is followed by another verb, the verb in the second phrase will be inthe infinitive tense(if you remember, infinitive verbs end in -are, -ere, -ire, and translate as “to…”). Below are some examples of these phrases, along with example sentences, adapted from Chapter 7 of the Conversational Italian for Travelerstextbook.

avere bisogno di

to have need of

Ho bisogno di… riposare.

avere paura di

to be afraid/have fear of

Ho paura di… guidare.

avere voglia di

to feel like

Ho voglia di… mangiare una pizza.

essere certo di

to be certain of

Sono certo(a) di… ricordare il tuo nome.

essere sicuro di

to be certain of

Sono sicuro(a) di… ricordare questo posto.

essere felice di

to be happy to

Sono felice di… incontrare mio cugino oggi.

essere fortunato di

to be lucky to

Sono fortunato(a) di… mangiare questa cena.

essere libero di

to be free to

Sono libero(a) di… viaggiare.

essere stanco di

to be tired of

Sono stanco(a) di… lavorare.

temere di…

to be afraid of

Temo di… essere in ritardo.

augurarsi di…

to wish/to hope (of)

Mi auguro di… fare una buona vacanza.

How to Express One’s Feelings with “Di” and “Che” and the Italian Subjunctive Mood – Past Tense

Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Che” and the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Some of the expressions listed in the following table are most commonly used with the same subject for the second phrase. As noted in our previous discussions, these phrases will be followed with “di” and an infinitive verb. They are reprinted here to correspond with the previous table, followed by an asterisk and an explanation in parentheses.

For most of the expressions of feeling that we have been talking about, though, it is possible to express a feeling that the speaker (io) has regarding another person or people. In this case, then, these expressions must be followed by che, and the subjunctive mood should be used for the verb in the second phrase.

The above rule for using che + subjunctive applies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.
However, if the introductory verb is in the past tense, the imperfetto subjunctive form is the form to follow!

In our example table, we will illustrate this by following the Italian phrases in which the subjects can be different with ...che tu, which we know means …that you,although of course, this rule follows no matter which subject pronoun we use.

Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Che” and the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mode

Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Group 8

Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Group 8

Ho bisogno… che tu

I need… that you*

*(This expression is not commonly used in Italian to tell another person what needs to be done; voglioche is used instead.)

Avevo bisogno… che tu

I needed… that you*

*(This expression is
not commonly used
in Italian to tell
another person what
needs to be done;volevoche is used
instead.)

Ho paura… che tu

I am afraid… that you

Avevo paura… che tu

I was afraid… that you

Ho voglia di… *

I feel like… **(always used with the same subject +di in both phrases)

Avevo voglia… *

I felt like…*

*(always used with
the same subject + di
in both phrases)

Non sono certo(a)…che tu

I am certain…that you

Non ero certo… che tu

I was certain… that you

Non sono sicuro(a)…che tu

I am certain…that you

Non ero sicuro… che tu

I was certain… that you

Sono felice… che tu

I am happy… that you

Ero felice… che tu

I was happy… that you

Sono fortunato(a)… che tu

I am happy… that you

Ero fortunato(a)… che tu

I was fortunate… that you

Sono libero(a) di… *

I am free… **(always used with the same subject +di in both phrases)

Ero libero(a)… *

I was free… **(always used with
the same subject +di
in both phrases)

Sono stanco(a) di…

I am tired…*

*(always used with the same subject +di in both phrases)

Ero stanco(a)… che tu

I was tired…*

*(always used with
the same subject +di
in both phrases)

Temo… che tu

I am afraid…that you

Temevo… che tu

I was afraid… that you

Mi auguro… che tu

I hope… that you

Mi auguravo… che tu

I hoped… that you

Idiomatic Use of the Italian Subjunctive Mood

The final group of words in the table below take the subjunctive mood when used to start a sentence. These conjunctions, adjectives, and pronouns imply that a second phrase is necessary to complete the sentence.

The above rule for using che + subjunctive applies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.However, if the introductory verb is the past tense, the imperfetto subjunctive form is the form to follow!

Only the most commonly used have been given in the table. For a more complete list, see the list in the first section of this blog.

Phrases Used to Introduce the Subjunctive Mood—Idiomatic

Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Groups 9, 10, 11

Prima che

Before that ( Prima che is used to mean “before that” and followed by the subjunctive when the subject in the first phrase is different from the subject in the second phrase; use Prima di + infinitive verb when the subject of both phrases is the same.)

Benché, Sebbene

Although, Even though, If

Può darsi che

It may be possible that, Possibly, Maybe

Affinché

So as, So that, In order that

Perché

So that (Perché is only used in the subjunctive mood when it means “so that.” Other meanings of perché include “why” and “because,” and in these cases, the subjunctive mood is not used.)

Purché

As long as, Provided that, Only if

Finally, our usual reminder:

DO NOT USE THE SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE PHRASES!

Forse =Perhaps

Per me = For me

Secondo me = According to me

The above may seem like exceptions to the rule, but perhaps… because these phrases already express doubt or your personal opinion… in the Italian way of thinking, it would be redundant to use these phrases along with the subjunctive!

And, two more phrases we can now add that DO NOT take the subjunctive mood:

How to Conjugate the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood for -are, -ere, and -ire Verbs

Luckily, there are only a few irregular stem forms to learn for the imperfetto subjunctive mood, making it an easier tense to learn than the present, future, and conditional tenses.

Also, the imperfetto subjunctive mood endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!

To change any regular infinitive verb into the imperfetto subjunctive mood, first drop the final -re, from our infinitive -are, -ere, and -ire verbs to create the stem.

This will create stems that end in the letters –a for the –are verbs, -e for the –ere verbs, and–i for the –ire verbs. Then add the endings given in the first table below to the stem that has been created. Examples for each verb type are given in the second table below.*

The word che is included in parentheses in the subject pronoun column as a reminder that these verb forms typically are used with the conjunction che. Also, use the subject pronoun in your sentence after che for clarity, since the endings for the singular forms are all the same!

Practice the subjunctive verbs out loud by saying che, the subject pronoun and then the correct verb form that follows!

Subjunctive Mood – Imperfetto Endings

io

ssi

tu

ssi

Lei/lei/lui

sse

noi

ssimo

voi

ste

loro

ssero

The following table will put together our stems with our imperfetto subjunctive mood endings. A few notes about this:

When pronouncing the imperfetto subjunctive mood verbs, the stress will always be on the syllable that begins with the last two letters of the stem and will incorporate one –s letter from the ending. (Remember the rule for Italian double consonants: one consonant will go with the syllable before and the second with the syllable after, in effect also stressing the double consonant itself.) The stressed syllables are underlined in our example table below.

Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood – Example Verb Conjugations

Abitare(to live)

(lived/were living)

Vedere(to see)

(saw/had seen)

Finire(to finish)

(finished/were finishing)

(che) io

abitassi

vedessi

finissi

(che) tu

abitassi

vedessi

finissi

(che) Lei/lei/lui

abitasse

vedesse

finisse

(che) noi

abitassimo

vedessimo

finissimo

(che) voi

abitaste

vedeste

finiste

(che) loro

abitassero

vedessero

finissero

How to Conjugate the Italian Subjunctive Mood Imperfetto Tense for the Modal Verbs

Here are the Italian imperfetto subjunctive forms for the modal verbs. If you remember, modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are also called “helping verbs.” These verbs are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian. As you no doubt recall, these three helping verbs give additional information about the main verb in the phrase. In the subjunctive mood, volere can also be translated as “to need.”

Dovere – to have to/must – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io

dovessi

I had to

(che) tu

dovessi

you (familiar) had to

(che) Lei

(che) lei/lui

dovesse

you (polite) had to
she/he had to

(che) noi

dovessimo

we had to

(che) voi

doveste

you all had to

(che) loro

dovessero

they had to

Potere – to be able (to)/can – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

che)io

potessi

I was able to/could

(che)tu

potessi

you (familiar) were able to/could

(che) Lei

(che) lei/lui

potesse

you (polite) were able to/could

she/he was able to/could

(che) noi

potessimo

we were able to/could

(che) voi

poteste

you all were able to/could

(che) loro

potessero

they were able to/could

Volere – to want/ to need – Imperfetto Subjunctive mode

(che) io

volessi

I wanted/needed

(che) tu

volessi

you (familiar) wanted/needed

(che) Lei

(che) lei/lui

volesse

you (polite) wanted/needed

she/he wanted/needed

(che) noi

volessimo

we wanted/needed

(che) voi

voleste

you all wanted/needed

(che) loro

volessero

they wanted/needed

The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

Commonly Used Regular and Irregular Verbs

A review from the second blog in this series:

Luckily, most verbs are regular in the imperfetto subjunctive mood. So, there are many, many more regular than irregular verbs! Below are some commonly used regular verbs, some of which are irregular in the present tense and most other tenses! Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.

There are a few important irregular verbs to know in the imperfetto subjunctive mood. You will find them in the tables below. Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.

Fare – to do/make – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

io

facessi

I did/ made

tu

facessi

you (familiar) did/made

Leilei/lui

facesse

you (polite) did/madeshe/he did/made

noi

facessimo

we did/made

voi

faceste

you all did/made

loro

facessero

they did/made

Dare – to give – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

io

dessi

I gave

tu

dessi

you (familiar) gave

Leilei/lui

desse

you (polite) gaveshe/he gave

noi

dessimo

we gave

voi

deste

you all gave

loro

dessero

they gave

Dire – to say/tell – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

io

dicessi

I said/told

tu

dicessi

you (familiar) said/told

Leilei/lui

dicesse

you (polite) said/toldshe/he said/told

noi

dicessimo

we said/told

voi

diceste

you all said/told

loro

dicessero

they said/told

How to Conjugate Italian Verbs “Essere,” “Avere,” and “Stare” in the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

A review from the first blog in this series:

In the tables below are the imperfetto subjunctive forms for the Italian auxiliary verbs avere, stare, and essere, which are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian. These are important verbs to commit to memory!

You will notice that avere has a regular conjugation in the imperfetto subjunctive mood, whereas essere and stare have an irregular conjugation.

Avere—to have—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io

avessi

I had

(che) tu

avessi

you (familiar) had

(che) Lei

(che) lei/lui

avesse

you (polite) had

she/he had

(che) noi

avessimo

we had

(che) voi

aveste

you all had

(che) loro

avessero

they had

Essere—to be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io

fossi

I were

(che) tu

fossi

you (familiar) were

(che) Lei

(che) lei/lui

fosse

you (polite) were

she/he were

(che) noi

fossimo

we were

(che) voi

foste

you all were

(che) loro

fossero

they were

Stare—to stay/be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood

(che) io

stessi

I stayed/were

(che) tu

stessi

you (familiar) stayed/were

(che) Lei

(che) lei/lui

stesse

you (polite) stayed/were

she/he stayed/were

(che) noi

stessimo

we stayed/were

(che) voi

steste

you all stayed/were

(che) loro

stessero

they stayed/were

The “Trapassato” Subjunctive Mood

“Essere” or “Avere” + Past Participle

To form the trapassato subjunctive mood to describe an event that started and was completed in the past, simply use either essere or avere in the imperfetto conjugation, and add the past participle of the verb.

In English, any event that started and was completed in the past simply needs “had” inserted in front of the past participle! This is a bit easier than Italian, but with a little practice, you will get used to the Italian in no time!

Below are the trapassato subjunctive mood conjugations for the auxiliary verbs avere and essere, using the past participles for two Italian verbs that are commonly used in this tense – fare and andare.

Remember that action verbs of direction, reflexive verbs, other verbs of growing and changing, and piacere all take essere as a helping verb when making these compound verbs. All other verbs take avere. If you need a review of the use of helping verbs for the Italian past tense, please refer to our blog Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!

You will notice that avere has a regular conjugation in the imperfetto subjunctive mood, whereas essere has an irregular conjugation. The past participle for fare (fatto) is irregular, but that of andare(andato) is regular. If you need a refresher on how to form past participles, please refer to our blog Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!

In hypothetical clauses, because the trapassato subjunctive mood is introduced by se,(se) is included in the subject pronoun column as a reminder. When conjugating these verbs, say “se” before the subject pronoun and each verb form to reinforce this way of thinking!

Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language. Meraviglioso!

But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Can you use the imperfetto subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! This is the second blog in the “Speak Italian” series that willfocus on how to conjugate and use the imperfettosubjunctive mood, or “il congiuntivo” for speaking in the past tense.

Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using the imperfettosubjunctive mood while speaking in the past tense. In this segment, we will discuss when volere, desiderare, piacere, and dispiacere take the subjunctive mood.

We will also learnthe conjugation of the imperfetto subjunctive mood for the -are, -ere,and -ire verbs and the commonly used irregular verbs andare, dare, dire, fare,sapere,and venire.Example sentences will follow!

How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood withVolere and Desiderare

When expressing one’s desire in Italian in the first person (io conjugation), voglio/vorrei and desidero are used in similar situations to mean I want and I would like. In this case, these helping verbs are followed directly by another verb that is in the infinitive tense (if you remember, infinitive verbs end in -are, -ere, -ire and translate as “to…”). Of course, these verbs can also be followed by a noun, the “object of our desire”!

But when these same verbs—voglio/vorrei and desidero—are used to express a desire for something that the speaker in the first person (io) wants another person to do, then these helping verbs must be followed by che, and then the subjunctive mood should be used for the verb in the next phrase.

In the same way, I can ask that someone do something using the verb chiedere or insist that they do it with the verb esigere. But just asking someone else or even insisting does not mean that it will be done (as those of us who have children know). So, in these cases as well, the verbs chiedere and esigere will be followed by the conjunction che and the next phrase will use a verb in the subjunctive form.

The above rule for using che + subjunctive applies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.*
However, if the introductory verb is in the past tense, the imperfetto subjunctive form is the form to follow!

*Be careful with chiedere and esigere, though, when using the passato prossimo past tense, since their past participles are irregular. For chiedere, the past participle is chiesto and for esigere, the past participle is esatto.

Esatto is, of course, also used as an adjective, meaning “exact” or “precise” as well as an interjection with the meaning of “Exactly!”

How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood withPiacere and Dispiacere

The verb forms mipiace, mi piacerrebbe and mi dispiace, mi dispiaccerebbe follow the same rule given for the verbs in Group 6 we just discussed: when the verb that follows these introductory phrases refers to the speaker (io form), then a verb in the infinitive form follows directly. When the verb that follows refers to someone else, che is used as a link to a verb in the subjunctive mood in the second clause.

The above rule for using che + subjunctive applies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.
However, if if the introductory verb is in the past tense, the imperfetto subjunctive form is the form to follow!

In our example table that follows, we will illustrate the use of che followed by a different speaker from the introductory phrase with ...che tu. This conjunction means …that you. Of course, we can replace tu with any of the other subject pronouns, and then the phrases would be: ….che Lei, che lei, che lui, che noi, che voi, or che loro.

Phrases Used to Introduce the Subjunctive Mood with Volere, Desiderare, Piacere, Dispiacere

Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language. Meraviglioso!

But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Can you use the imperfetto subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! The next three blogs in the “Speak Italian” series willfocus on how to conjugate and use the imperfettoItalian subjunctive mood, or “il congiuntivo” for speaking in the past tense.

Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using the imperfettosubjunctive mood while speaking in the past tense. In this segment, we will discuss the phrases that take the subjunctive mood when in the past tense and how to conjugate the imperfetto subjunctive mood for avere, essere and stare. Example sentences will follow!

To follow is a (long) list of phrases that can be used to introduce the subjunctive mood, with examples from the passato prossimo past tense in the first two columns and the imperfetto past tense in the last two columns.

Basic translations are given in our tables, but remember that the imperfetto past tense can also be translated as “was… ing.” Therefore, “Speravo che” means, “I hoped,”and“I was hoping.” In the last section, we will then present examples for the past tense.

Passato Prossimo Past
Subjunctive Phrase
Groups 1 and 2

Imperfetto Past
Subjunctive Phrase
Groups 1 and 2

Ho creduto che

I believed that

Credevo che

I believed that

Ho pensato che

I thought that

Pensavo che

I thought that

Ho sperato che

I hoped that

Speravo che

I hoped that

È stato possibile che

It was possible that

Era possibile che

It was possible that

È stato probablile che

It was probable that

Era probabile che

It was probable that

È stato bene che

It was fine/good that

Era bene che

It was fine/good that

Sarebbe stato bene che

It would have been good that

È stato giusto che

It was right that

Era giusto che

It was right that

È stato meglio che

It was better that

Era meglio che

It was better that

È stato incredible che

It was incredible that

Era incredibile che

It was incredible that

È stato un peccato che

It was a shame that

Era un peccato che

It was a shame that

È stata una vergogna che

It was a disgrace that

Era una vergogna che

It was a disgrace that

È stato normale che

It was normal that

Era normale che

It was normal that

Passato Prossimo Past
Subjunctive Phrase
Groups 3, 4, and 5

Imperfetto Past
Subjunctive Phrase
Groups 3, 4, and 5

Non ho saputo che

I didn’t know that

Non sapevo che

I didn’t know that

Non ho saputo dove

I did’t know where

Non sapevo dove

I didn’t know where

Non sono stato sicuro che

I wasn’t sure that

Non ero sicuro che

I wasn’t sure that

Non ho avuto idea che

I had no idea that

Non avevo idea che

I had no idea that

Non vedevo l’ora che…

I couldn’t wait that

Non c’è stato nulla che

There was nothing that

Non c’era nulla che

There was nothing that

Mi è parso* che

It seems to me

Mi pareva che

It seemed to me

Mi è sembrato* che

It seems to me

Mi sembrava che

It seemed to me

(Può darsi che only used in present tense)

(Perhaps)

Ho avuto l’impressione che

I had the impression that

Avevo l’impresione che

I had the impression that

Ho supposto che

I supposed that

Supponevo che

I supposed that

Ho immaginato che

I imagined that

Immaginavo che

I imagined that

Ho dubitato che

I doubted that

Dubitavo che

I doubted that

Sono stato(a) convinto che

I was convinced that

Ero convinto che

I was convinced that

(A meno cheonly used in present tense)

(Unless)

Ho convenuto che

It was best that

Conveniva che

It was best that

È bastato(a) che

It was enough that

Bastava che

It was enough that

(Malgrado cheonly used in present tense)

(In spite of that)

Si è detto che

It was said that =
One says/said that

Si diceva che

It was said that

Hanno detto che

They said that

Dicevano che

They said that

C’èstatobisognato che

It was necessary that =
There was a need for that

Bisognava che

It was necessary that

* Use the phrases “Mi era parso che” and “Mi era sembrato che” when the phrase that follows will refer to another speaker’s actions. Do NOT change the ending of parso or sembrato. In this case, parso and sembrato refer to “it” in the phrase, “It seems to me that…” and so are invariable.

However, when saying, “It seems to me…” followed by an adjective that describes how the speaker himself feels about something, the last letter of parso and sembrato must match in gender and number what is being described.

So, to describe how a beautiful girl seemed to me, I would say:Mi era parsa bella. – or – Mi era sembrata bella. = She seemed beautiful to me.

Let’s see how this works in the past tense, in a situation when one might have “wondered if…” something might have happened.

“Mi chiedevo…” literally means, “I asked myself,” which translates into “I wondered.” At first glance, it may seem like chiedersi should fall into the category of improbable hypothetical phrases – especially when this verb is followed by se, such as in the phrase “I wondered if…” But, as we’ve learned in previous blogs, instead, chiedersi follows the same rules as our verbs of uncertainty in Rule 4.

Therefore, when chiedersi is used in the past tense, the phrase that follows will take the imperfetto subjunctive and the trapassato subjunctive forms.

Here are our previous examples for when one is wondering in the past tense about something that may have happened in either the present or the past.

Mi chiedevo se lui fosse un attore bravo in quel film.
I wondered if he is a great actor in that film.

Mi chiedevo se lui fosse stato un attore bravo in quel film.
I wondered if he was a great actor in that film.

Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of theConversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area.“Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”

Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC